Thud.
The changing room door swings open.
“Huff.”
With a sigh, Kim Deok-Sung in a tuxedo steps out.
Fluster.
Eri’s face turns beet red at the sight.
The studio is decorated like a wedding hall.
“Come here, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. The groom is entering!”
The photographer shouts like a master of ceremonies.
Kim Deok-Sung’s face slightly contorts.
The groom’s entrance.
Eri’s eyes tremble at those words.
In front of her, the studio looks just like a real wedding hall, and the filming crew resembles genuine guests.
‘Marrying the Master…’
Marriage.
A word too thrilling to utter.
As soon as she thinks of it, Eri’s body shudders, and her chest feels tight, almost painful.
“Eh.”
Kim Deok-Sung sighs.
At the sound of his voice, Eri snaps back to reality and leaps into his arms with a smile.
“Master!”
The scent of his tuxedo brushes against her nose.
Her face turns even redder.
She feels good.
“…Our Master is the best. So handsome. Absolutely fabulous ♥”
My groom. Our darling.
Eri swallows her words and beams.
Click.
The flash goes off.
“Next pose, Princess Hold.”
“Damn it.”
Kim Deok-Sung mutters a low curse in Korean and lifts Eri up in a princess hold.
“Kyaa! Eri received a princess hold from the Master!”
Eri exclaims, bursting with joy.
She feels the solidness of his arms.
She’s on cloud nine.
It feels like she could fly.
If this is a dream, she wishes it won’t end.
Eri thinks this while smiling.
Click, click.
The shoot is going smoothly.
At first, Kim Deok-Sung showed he didn’t like it, but he’s soon resigned and has become more cooperative, hoping it will wrap up quickly.
Just then, as pink vibes bloom in Eri’s heart,
“Next is the kiss scene.”
The kiss scene she had dreamt of comes to her ears.
“What? What is this…”
As Kim Deok-Sung frowns,
Smooch.
Eri’s pink lips, adorned with wedding dress glam, touch his cheek.
Thud.
Eri’s face flushes bright red.
‘I kissed the Master. Kissed him. Kiss. Master. Master…’
Her mind is painted entirely pink.
The whole world turns pink.
It’s different from the kiss he had when he fell asleep in the love hotel.
Right now, even if it’s for a photoshoot, it’s a kiss he’s aware of.
Though it’s not on the lips.
Still, Eri liked it.
In her view, Kim Deok-Sung is flustered by the surprise cheek kiss.
“Master, so cute.”
Seeing that, Eri chuckled inwardly.
And thought to herself.
I’m glad I decided to have the wedding concept shoot after all.
*
Damn it, the wedding shoot is finally over.
From princess hugs to kisses.
It’s supposed to be a concept, but it felt so absurd it could raise a king’s eyebrows.
If he hadn’t made that promise back then, I wouldn’t have had to follow this ridiculous shoot as a day manager.
“Hehehe…”
I see Eri, a gleeful smile on her face, flapping her hands excitedly beside me.
I notice the dog collar around her neck.
Not fond of the dog collar, but seeing her smile eases my heart a bit.
That day.
The guilt of leaving her alone in the rainy park felt a little lighter.
After finishing a meal with her, we arrive at the academy.
In front of the main gate, she fidgets with a flushed face, playing with the dog collar as she speaks.
“Master… thanks for putting up with Eri-ring’s insistence today.”
Eri wriggles her fingers.
Insistence, huh?
Knowing that just makes my mouth taste sour.
“Eri-ring, even so, I was the happiest today. Being with you… Just the two of us for the first time in a while. We shot photos and had meals together.”
Eri beams with a bright smile.
One step.
She approaches me.
Eri’s gaze meets mine.
“So… please pay a little more attention to me from now on. I don’t need much. Just a little… Eri-ring is a fragile flower that will wither without Master’s elements…”
She suddenly clasps my wrist and places it on the dog collar.
“The Galaxy Rank Beautiful Girl Eri-ring is forever your slave… I’ll always be on your side. So please don’t neglect me too much. Just a little more attention, Master.”
As Eri says that, her smile shifts to a pitiful expression, quite different from earlier.
I couldn’t find any words to respond.
Suddenly, memories of my time with Eri flash in my mind.
The worst first meeting.
Disobedience and trolling during the Cherry Blossom Festival gate incident.
The absurdity of the dog collar joke.
Suddenly calling me Master, her personality flipped 180 degrees.
The image of her hugging a lunchbox in the rainy park.
And today’s wedding photoshoot.
In her wedding dress, she looked…
As Eri said, the happiest she’s ever been.
A look and expression never seen in the original light novel illustrations, comics, or animations.
No, from the beginning.
The Eri in front of me is completely different from the original Nishizawa Eri.
The original Nishizawa Eri never referred to me as Master or called herself Eri-ring.
After being rescued by the protagonist, the original Nishizawa Eri turned into a typical mega-deredere character.
Eri-ring calling me Master and herself a slave is practically something I created.
The appearance of “Eri Ring,” whom I refer to as my “slave,” is essentially something I’ve created myself.
Yeah.
If anyone has had their fate twisted the most in this godforsaken light novel world, it’s definitely Eri.
No, she’s a person.
That is the truth I have turned a blind eye to.
So…
“······Yeah.”
This is also something I must take responsibility for.
I place my hand on Eri’s orange hair.
“That’s how it is.”
Swish, swish.
I stroke her head.
Eri’s eyes widen.
Her face turns red.
“Master······.”
Feeling my touch, Eri smiles like a puppy.
“After all, it’s only Master for Eri Ring!”
She launches herself into my arms.
This time, I didn’t push her away from the hug.
*
After the hug time ended.
Eri waves her hand and sees me off.
“Then, Master, you go in first! Eri Ring has some things to do, and I’ll come in later!”
“Okay.”
As I was walking toward the dormitory while being seen off by Eri.
At that moment.
Vroom.
My phone in my pocket buzzes.
I take out my smartphone and check the message.
The sender is Hoshino Kasumi.
The content is.
[There will be a meeting for the cooking club’s summer retreat activities.]
[We ask all members to attend if possible.]
What?
Summer retreat?
Where are we going?
Eri, who had seen off Kim Deok-Sung to the dormitory, opens her eyes after closing them.
With a flushed face, she keeps fiddling with the collar around her neck.
“Hehe, hehe, hehehe······.”
Laughter flows from Eri’s lips.
What just happened comes to her mind.
It was Kim Deok-Sung, who always pushed her away and thought negatively of her.
Since Eri had her own responsibilities in that matter, she couldn’t say anything.
She could only appeal to his emotions, asking him to care just a little more.
Even while saying that, she wasn’t really expecting much.
He’s kind, but that doesn’t mean everything she’s done to him can be justified.
She thought it was no use rejecting him and leaving him be.
Still, she wanted a bit more of his love.
No, she at least wanted his interest.
So she blurted out.
“Master said he would care for Eri Ring······.”
However, Kim Deok-Sung indulged her childlike complaint.
He said he would care for her from now on.
The joy of that fact was overwhelming.
It was touching.
And so Eri’s heart raced like it was going to burst.
Tears of emotion glistened in her eyes.
“Hehe······. Master for Eri Ring······. So kind, as always.”
The only being she could dedicate both body and soul to.
That’s only Master.
Thinking that, Eri let out a laugh.
At that moment.
“I’m here. Nishizawa-san. Did you wait long?”
A calm voice came from behind her.
Eri turns her head.
There stood Han Seo-Jin, a gray-haired beauty in a black suit, holding a paper bag in one hand.
“Ah? No, no! I didn’t wait long, Han Seo-Jin!”
Eri wipes away the dew-like tears at her eyes with the back of her hand and smiles.
Wiping away the dew from her eyes, she smiles.
She didn’t want to show her tears to anyone other than her master.
Even if it was the admired Han Seo-Jin.
“I’ve completed the bromide production you mentioned.”
With a swift motion, Han Seo-Jin hands over a paper bag.
Eri gently opens the bag.
Inside, a high-quality bromide of their cheek kiss photo taken today was printed.
“Wow……”
Eri gasps in awe.
Her face turns red.
Her heart races.
“Thank you, Han Seo-Jin! For fulfilling my request, Eri-ling!”
The reason Eri lingered after sending Kim Deok-Sung away.
It was to receive the wedding photo bromides she commissioned through Han Seo-Jin.
“It’s no big deal.”
Han Seo-Jin replies with her usual calm expression.
For the sake of the harem plan,
This kind of small favor was nothing at all.
“But still, thank you. Hehe. Eri-ling and master look great together. Maybe it’s destiny? Hehe.”
Han Seo-Jin’s gaze turns cold as she watches Eri, who looks as if she’s gained the whole world in her joyful expression.
The harem plan was sailing smoothly today as well.
*
Summer vacation training camp for the club activities.
An event frequently found in youth-centered, slice-of-life, romantic comedy light novels.
Equivalent to a summer retreat for university clubs in Korea.
During summer vacation, under the pretense of fostering camaraderie, club members take a trip to a valley or beach to have a blast.
Naturally, since this wasn’t a slice-of-life genre but a supernatural battle one, such an event had never happened before.
Except for the early parts where Hoshino Kasumi appears, there’s barely any description of club activities in the original work.
But unlike the original, thanks to me bringing the club activities to life, the summer camp event was happening after all.
It’s my own doing, but still, I dislike it.
“A training camp……”
During summer vacation, I had planned to huddle in my room and play games.
A training camp, huh?
How annoying.
I’m so tired of the beach.
“I don’t want to go……”
[Oh come on, partner. You have to go. When else will you get to relax and have fun during your student days? After graduation, you won’t get to do this.]
The Black Prince chimes in with some old-man wisdom.
I wish he wouldn’t.
Clicking my tongue, I move my feet.
Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz.
It must be summer, as the sound of cicadas brushes against my ears.
It’s so loud, it’s driving me mad.
Sighing, I arrive at the Annex.
The hallway, which would be bustling with students participating in club activities during the semester, is eerily quiet.
I shuffle my way over to the cooking club room, Room 121.
I grab the doorknob and turn it.
As I enter, likely due to the vacation, the cooking club members in casual clothes welcome me at the table.
“Master! Welcome!”
As soon as I walk in, the first person I lock eyes with is Eri.
Her sparkling orange eyes are directed at me.
Eri smiles bashfully.
“The junior is the last to arrive again, huh? Make sure to come early next time.”
